Indy Blog

The Rockies Today, Aug. 29

NorthWestern Energy's wind farm on budget, on scheduleOn Tuesday, representatives from NorthWestern Energy, Compass and other companies involved in the construction of the Spion Kop wind farm took members of the media on a tour of the Montana wind farm which is scheduled to go online later this year.Great Falls Tribune; Aug. 29

Montana wildfire grows to 3,000 acres overnightThe Nineteen Mile Fire was first reported on Tuesday near Whitehall and evacuations were ordered for homes near the Montana wildfire, which was 3,000 acres in size by Wednesday morning.Montana Standard; Aug. 29

Wyoming conference showcases results of coal researchAt the second annual meeting of the Clean Coal Technology Research Symposium in Laramie last week, Wyoming-funded researchers presented projects designed to clean up the use of coal as a fuel and to diversify the fuel's uses, including a prototype of a new coal burner designed to attach to current coal plants and capture 90 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted and a gasifier that turns natural gas or coal to liquid fuels.WyoFile.com; Aug. 29

Colorado community adopts new oil, gas regulationsDespite pleas from a number of residents, the Erie Town Board voted to allow the six-month moratorium on new oil and gas drilling operations to expire, as the board signed off on agreements with oil and gas companies that regulate their operations within the Colorado town's borders.Boulder Daily Camera; Aug. 29

Pronghorn antelope numbers up, elk count down in W. WyomingWyoming Game and Fish Department personnel said that an annual trend survey done of pronghorn antelope in the Jackson Hole area found a near record number of the animals and that the fawn-to-doe ratio was 80 to 100, considerably higher than average, but that a tally of the elk herd that migrates from an area south of Yellowstone National Park to the National Elk Refuge found just 1,458 elk, about 1,000 less than counted in 2010.Jackson Hole News & Guide; Aug. 29

Report on groundwater in Alberta oilsands area says more data neededThe Cumulative Environmental Management Association's report issued Tuesday on how oilsands operations may affect groundwater resources in Alberta warned that there is much that is not known about those resources, but that lower water levels and poor quality could have considerable consequences.Edmonton Journal; Aug. 29

Consultants tout benefit of tapping into expanded Medicaid programThe Affordable Care Act of 2010 is predicted to add 13 million to 15 million enrollees in 2014, most of them working poor adults and children, and consultants are urging insurance companies seeking to expand their footprint to tap the relatively healthy customer base.Salt Lake Tribune; Aug. 29

Mountain West News is a project of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West at The University of Montana. It provides a daily snapshot of news and opinion in the Rocky Mountain region of North America, giving the changing mountain West a tool to understand itself and a platform for the exchange of ideas.